The 2020 Election; An Impending Crisis
BY BELLE HU '22
He put down the microphone and paused to survey the lively audience. Each individual proudly sported a red hat with bold, capital letters: Make America Great Again. Applause erupted, accompanied by hoots and whistles for their president.
Yet, none of these Trump supporters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, wore a mask. The CDC thus deemed the Tulsa Trump Rally one of the highest risk events for contracting COVID-19.
As COVID-19 cases surpass five million and outrage hangs in the air, this year’s heated election exacerbates the seemingly dystopian world we live in. It’s difficult to focus on politics when there are other things to worry about. Still, both presidential candidates have attempted to grab the attention of the general public.
While Trump stirred drama with the CDC, current Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden slammed Trump’s handling of the outbreak. Amid the political polarization over COVID-19’s consequences, the fierce Trump-Biden rivalry threatens to tear the nation apart this November. It may be impossible to avoid the chaos that awaits us, after all, 2020 is one for the books, and this election will be no different.
Both candidates plan on reaching out to voters of color, given the 7% drop in Black turnout from 2012 to 2016. Trump has made increasing his weakest demographic, the Black constituency, his core campaign goal. However, his previous actions complicate his hope for expanding his base: he praised law enforcement during the George Floyd protests, failed to address systemic racism in response to the protests, and struggled to relieve the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on minority groups. Thus, Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign endorses Black Voices for Trump, a nationwide group that speaks with Black community leaders and uses social media to gain Black support. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Trump campaign opened offices to woo Black voters in key battleground states, such as Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
But these efforts, along with support for Black academic institutions and criminal justice reforms, have failed to boost Trump’s support. A PBS News Hours poll finds that currently, Trump has garnered a meager 5% of Black voters’ approval, while Biden has captured 91%.
On the Democratic side, after weeks of suspense, Joe Biden finally chose his running mate: Kamala Harris. Why Biden decided to pick a female vice presidential candidate remains a mystery, though many have speculated. Some theorize that Biden chose a woman as an act of tokenism, while others think that selecting a female of color will bring more young voters to the polls. Still, most believe that Biden’s choice demonstrates his awareness of the Democratic Party’s evolving stance on the role of women.
Chosen from thirteen other impressive vice presidential candidates, Harris has already presented a united front with Biden. Though the two come from opposite coasts, sustain a wide age gap, and share a competitive past, their alliance could make history: Harris would be the first woman of color to be vice president if the Biden-Harris ticket wins.
Generally, much uncertainty surrounds Harris’s ability to help Biden win, as Biden’s pick sacrifices liberal activists’ support, who favored Elizabeth Warren over the more moderate Harris, and Harris’ own presidential campaign last year lacked efficacy. Contrary to public expectations, she was less popular among Black voters than her competition. Biden captured the older Black vote, and Warren and Sanders attracted the younger. Even now, many Black Lives Matter activists’ response to Biden’s running mate is unclear. Other liberal Blacks cannot overlook Harris’s legal past as an attorney, considering her responses towards minor crimes as too harsh. As the November election approaches, we will have to wait and see how Harris will leave her mark.
The option to vote by mail further complicates matters. The U.S. already imposes more voting restrictions than most other democracies, so this year’s logistical complications will just be another disincentive to vote. Prior to the pandemic, crime convictions prevented millions of Americans from voting, and shortages in poll resources created longer lines that disproportionately affected voters in Black neighborhoods. The fear of contracting COVID-19 has only worsened the voting crisis. Although the CDC encourages mail-in-voting, which many states have already embraced, the GOP continues to oppose this concept, claiming that it perpetuates voter fraud. Currently, voters are allowed to choose, but many state officials are concerned that voters will be confused. In New Jersey, presidential primary voters reported that they didn’t know where to cast their ballots, and others announced that they never even received one. Meanwhile, Pennsylvanian voters were frustrated when traditional polling stations were moved the day the vote was due. As more states experience voter complaints despite efforts to normalize voting, both voter turnout and the accuracy of representation are at stake.
With all that has occured, it is nearly certain that the campaigns will be supercharged with tension for what is to come. Meanwhile, as claws emerge and both parties continue to butt heads, public confidence is at an all-time low. With both disenfranchisement and voting restrictions on the rise, the results of the election will likely be divisive; a win by a narrow margin will inevitably bring up questions about its legitimacy. Thus, amid my dread, I have one wish: that a civil war will not start after November.
Yet, none of these Trump supporters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, wore a mask. The CDC thus deemed the Tulsa Trump Rally one of the highest risk events for contracting COVID-19.
As COVID-19 cases surpass five million and outrage hangs in the air, this year’s heated election exacerbates the seemingly dystopian world we live in. It’s difficult to focus on politics when there are other things to worry about. Still, both presidential candidates have attempted to grab the attention of the general public.
While Trump stirred drama with the CDC, current Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden slammed Trump’s handling of the outbreak. Amid the political polarization over COVID-19’s consequences, the fierce Trump-Biden rivalry threatens to tear the nation apart this November. It may be impossible to avoid the chaos that awaits us, after all, 2020 is one for the books, and this election will be no different.
Both candidates plan on reaching out to voters of color, given the 7% drop in Black turnout from 2012 to 2016. Trump has made increasing his weakest demographic, the Black constituency, his core campaign goal. However, his previous actions complicate his hope for expanding his base: he praised law enforcement during the George Floyd protests, failed to address systemic racism in response to the protests, and struggled to relieve the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on minority groups. Thus, Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign endorses Black Voices for Trump, a nationwide group that speaks with Black community leaders and uses social media to gain Black support. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Trump campaign opened offices to woo Black voters in key battleground states, such as Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
But these efforts, along with support for Black academic institutions and criminal justice reforms, have failed to boost Trump’s support. A PBS News Hours poll finds that currently, Trump has garnered a meager 5% of Black voters’ approval, while Biden has captured 91%.
On the Democratic side, after weeks of suspense, Joe Biden finally chose his running mate: Kamala Harris. Why Biden decided to pick a female vice presidential candidate remains a mystery, though many have speculated. Some theorize that Biden chose a woman as an act of tokenism, while others think that selecting a female of color will bring more young voters to the polls. Still, most believe that Biden’s choice demonstrates his awareness of the Democratic Party’s evolving stance on the role of women.
Chosen from thirteen other impressive vice presidential candidates, Harris has already presented a united front with Biden. Though the two come from opposite coasts, sustain a wide age gap, and share a competitive past, their alliance could make history: Harris would be the first woman of color to be vice president if the Biden-Harris ticket wins.
Generally, much uncertainty surrounds Harris’s ability to help Biden win, as Biden’s pick sacrifices liberal activists’ support, who favored Elizabeth Warren over the more moderate Harris, and Harris’ own presidential campaign last year lacked efficacy. Contrary to public expectations, she was less popular among Black voters than her competition. Biden captured the older Black vote, and Warren and Sanders attracted the younger. Even now, many Black Lives Matter activists’ response to Biden’s running mate is unclear. Other liberal Blacks cannot overlook Harris’s legal past as an attorney, considering her responses towards minor crimes as too harsh. As the November election approaches, we will have to wait and see how Harris will leave her mark.
The option to vote by mail further complicates matters. The U.S. already imposes more voting restrictions than most other democracies, so this year’s logistical complications will just be another disincentive to vote. Prior to the pandemic, crime convictions prevented millions of Americans from voting, and shortages in poll resources created longer lines that disproportionately affected voters in Black neighborhoods. The fear of contracting COVID-19 has only worsened the voting crisis. Although the CDC encourages mail-in-voting, which many states have already embraced, the GOP continues to oppose this concept, claiming that it perpetuates voter fraud. Currently, voters are allowed to choose, but many state officials are concerned that voters will be confused. In New Jersey, presidential primary voters reported that they didn’t know where to cast their ballots, and others announced that they never even received one. Meanwhile, Pennsylvanian voters were frustrated when traditional polling stations were moved the day the vote was due. As more states experience voter complaints despite efforts to normalize voting, both voter turnout and the accuracy of representation are at stake.
With all that has occured, it is nearly certain that the campaigns will be supercharged with tension for what is to come. Meanwhile, as claws emerge and both parties continue to butt heads, public confidence is at an all-time low. With both disenfranchisement and voting restrictions on the rise, the results of the election will likely be divisive; a win by a narrow margin will inevitably bring up questions about its legitimacy. Thus, amid my dread, I have one wish: that a civil war will not start after November.